The SW gate agent proudly announced that...

[ducklite]

Some airports SW's legal connection time is under an hour. A delayed flight and parents will be boarding at the end. An A BP and even qualifying for pre-boarding means nothing if all the other passengers board the plane before the family is able to get to the gate.

No reason to give up your seat, another passenger will be kind enough to switch seats.

I'm sure someone back in a "C" seat who didn't have much of a seat choice to begin with will. Orlando isn't a "hub" for SW, the only passengers on a SW flight from here that originated elsewhere will already be on the plane, coming in from WPI or FLL.

Anne

 

[Lewisc]

I agree the situation is unlikely at MCO but rather at the intermediate airport such as BWI, PHX etc.

Even a passenger with an "A" BP and a good seat may offer to swap so one parent can sit next to a 3 or 4 year old child. A late connecting flight, a family has to board after the "Cs", only middle seats are left at least one passenger is going to have to give up a good seat. If the child is young enough the FA may hold the flight until they get a volunteer.

The real issue is when parents expect passengers to swap in order to accomodate older children.

I'm sure someone back in a "C" seat who didn't have much of a seat choice to begin with will. Orlando isn't a "hub" for SW, the only passengers on a SW flight from here that originated elsewhere will already be on the plane, coming in from WPI or FLL.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

I agree the situation is unlikely at MCO but rather at the intermediate airport such as BWI, PHX etc.

Even a passenger with an "A" BP and a good seat may offer to swap so one parent can sit next to a 3 or 4 year old child. A late connecting flight, a family has to board after the "Cs", only middle seats are left at least one passenger is going to have to give up a good seat. The real problem is when parents expect passengers to swap in order to accomodate older children.

Chances are those middle seats are empty with traveling companions on either side. When confronted with the possibility of a stranger between them, most will move over to allow the aisle seat to be empty. Once there's an empty aisle seat, chances are someone with a window seat will move for the aisle, and thus free up a window and middle for a parent to sit next to a younger child. A child who is school aged can certainly sit alone for a couple of hours. THey do it in school everyday.

It's almost implausible that a single passenger with an aisle "A" seat would need to move to accomodate a late arriving family. It would be very odd that the middle seat in their row (towards the front of the plane) would be empty to begin with.

Anne

 

[Lewisc]

I'm not saying it's common. BUT I was on a fully booked flight from LAS (not to MCO). A couple of flights from the west coast were delayed and a couple of families got to the gate after the plane had boarded. Passengers moved for young kids, maybe age 3. I didn't see who moved but there were only middle seats left long before the families boarded. A couple of passengers exchanged a window or aisle seat for a middle seat.

The situation isn't common but families can do everything right and still be at the mercy of passengers willing to switch. I'll agree with you regarding a school age child. I wound up with a such a child next to me and he was well behaved.

Chances are those middle seats are empty with traveling companions on either side. When confronted with the possibility of a stranger between them, most will move over to allow the aisle seat to be empty. Once there's an empty aisle seat, chances are someone with a window seat will move for the aisle, and thus free up a window and middle for a parent to sit next to a younger child. A child who is school aged can certainly sit alone for a couple of hours. THey do it in school everyday.

It's almost implausible that a single passenger with an aisle "A" seat would need to move to accomodate a late arriving family. It would be very odd that the middle seat in their row (towards the front of the plane) would be empty to begin with.

Anne

 

[jcodespoti]

I know a lot of people here like to fly SWA. But until they change their boarding policy, I doubt I will ever fly them. At BDL I once saw a couple of people shouting at each other over SWA pre-boaring procedure. Its just not worth it to me. But to each there own.

Joe in CT

 

[pearljim]

Two years ago my DW and I were heading to Orlando from Hartford in January and SW pre-boarded 18 wheelchair passengers - 18 count 'em . . . took 40 minutes! Lots of retirees going back to FLA after the holidays. That's the most for us!

 

[makinorlando]

Tara's first plane ride on USAir PHL- Orlando when she was 6 resulted in us being separated for both legs of the trip. We booked the trip late, and could not select seats prior to arriving at the airport. The flight home for MCO I could not even see her during the flight. She survived!

 

[ducklite]

Tara's first plane ride on USAir PHL- Orlando when she was 6 resulted in us being separated for both legs of the trip. We booked the trip late, and could not select seats prior to arriving at the airport. The flight home for MCO I could not even see her during the flight. She survived!

I'm sure she thought of it as an adventure. I think far too often it's the parents with the problem, not the kids!

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Two years ago my DW and I were heading to Orlando from Hartford in January and SW pre-boarded 18 wheelchair passengers - 18 count 'em . . . took 40 minutes! Lots of retirees going back to FLA after the holidays. That's the most for us!

First I want to say I have nothing against people with disabilities. I have a number of friends and relatives who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

But--it seems that having that many disabled folks on one flight is a terrible safety concern. If there was ever the need to quickly evacuate the plane, a lot of people would die--there just aren't enough potential rescuers to get that many mobility inpaired people off the plane in minutes--especially in a panic situation. It seems that for safety purposes, the airlines should think about limiting the number of mobility impaired people on any given flight--for THEIR OWN safety.

It's just scary to think about IMHO.

Anne

 

[Reese]

Reading through the thread it looks like pre-boarding they only have to allow one parent to pre-board with child under four. No I have a predicament as I have six children two of which are under three. Will they allow the other four (6, 7, 9, 14 ) to preboard with Dh and I or will I have to get the two youngest situated on my own so Dh can wait with the others?

 

[NotUrsula]

They won't force minor children to wait and board alone, though teens may certainly do so if they want to. (Teens usually being perfectly happy to pretend they don't know their parents ) If you and your spouse need to board together in order to get carseats installed, etc., then they will let the other kids board with you. If both of the younger children are lap-carried, then both parents would be required to preboard, as you cannot have two lap-carried children seated in the same row. (Not enough oxygen masks.)

Note that if you had grandparents (for example) travelling with you, they would probably have to board later, unless they were disabled, in which case they would not board with you, but before you. The preboarding order is unaccompanied minors first, followed by the disabled, followed by families w/ young children. [Note that unaccompanied minor is defined as a child under age 12 who is travelling alone, or with other young children, without any adult in the same party on the plane. A child who is on the same plane as an accompanying adult, but is seated separately, does not count as unaccompanied.]

 

[WillCAD]

Reading through the thread it looks like pre-boarding they only have to allow one parent to pre-board with child under four. No I have a predicament as I have six children two of which are under three. Will they allow the other four (6, 7, 9, 14 ) to preboard with Dh and I or will I have to get the two youngest situated on my own so Dh can wait with the others?

Although that is the rule, I have never seen SWA split up a family - they let the whole family pre-board with the under-4 kids.

 

[inkkognito]

I think it's something in the peanuts that effects a miracle cure while in flight. My husband flies SW between MCO and MDW regularly, and his favorite was the teen who practically dragged herself on board with her drastic limp in the preboard. In the middle of the flight, she jumped up and headed down the aisle at a perfect gait...suddenly her dad whistled to her (probably heard the whispers and snickers) and the limp descended upon her again in full force, although oddly enough it was suddenly the other leg.

 

[gigi1313]

I have always thought that it would speed up the boarding process to actually section off the plane - the rear third would be for Group C, the middle for Group B, and the front for Group A. Boarding would be done in reverse order - pre-boarders first, then C, then B, then A.

This would save time because nobody would have to file past an entire planeload of people standing in the isles to put away their carry-ons - the groups that boarded before you did would all be farther back in teh plan than you are. The coveted A boarding pass would then allow you to easily stroll onto the plane last and get a seat near the front, insuring that you are off the plane quicker than those in the B and C groups.

Come to think of it, it might speed up deplaning if they did it by section, too, which would quicken turnaround time at each stop.

fyi, i have not read all four pages of the thread... just jumping in w/my $.02 on this subject...

this would not work at all, imo... it's not the front or the back or the middle that is coveted but the aisle and the window... i'd be ticked if i had an A boarding pass and still got a middle seat! regardless of what "section" of the plane that middle seat was in!

we're pre-boarders due to ds' peanut/tree nut allergy... swa is generous enough to allow us the time to go on ahead and wipe down his entire area 'cause they readily admit that their planes are not cleaned between flights (we've often found peanut wrappers in the seat back compartment) but we *never* take advantage of this and grab a frontward seat... we go at least 2/3s or more of the way back and begin our sanitizing procedure and are typically done before passengers start streaming past us... i appreciate the opportunity to keep ds safe, and would hate to take advantage of it!

 

[castleri]

fyi,
we're pre-boarders due to ds' peanut/tree nut allergy... swa is generous enough to allow us the time to go on ahead and wipe down his entire area 'cause they readily admit that their planes are not cleaned between flights (we've often found peanut wrappers in the seat back compartment) but we *never* take advantage of this and grab a frontward seat... we go at least 2/3s or more of the way back and begin our sanitizing procedure and are typically done before passengers start streaming past us... i appreciate the opportunity to keep ds safe, and would hate to take advantage of it!

This to me is the type of situation that pre-boarding is supposed to take care of - along with peole who need to transfer from wheelchairs, or who may have a real mobility problem. Many people who preboard are with infants that they will hold on their laps - what extra does this require? Putting a car seat in place for a child is another thing that takes a little extra. Keeping a parent with a small child is also a good thing but it doesn't mean keeping them with 6 or 7 adults who didn't bother to try for A or even B boarding passes. We have used the preboarding for that and the other adults get in their assigned line and most times end up near the original two anyway. I think the key is your statement about not stopping at the forward seats. It always interests me that those same people who need extra time to get on don't need it to get off the plane.

 

[WillCAD]

fyi, i have not read all four pages of the thread... just jumping in w/my $.02 on this subject...

this would not work at all, imo... it's not the front or the back or the middle that is coveted but the aisle and the window... i'd be ticked if i had an A boarding pass and still got a middle seat! regardless of what "section" of the plane that middle seat was in!

I agree that the aisle and window seats are the coveted seats.

But I don't think that the A-B-C boarding system is in place ONLY to allow those of us who check in early the oppotunity to grab a window or aisle seat - it's also in place to speed the boarding process. My idea would reduce the possibility of getting a window or aisle seat, but it would speed the boarding process. It make it a lot easier on the pre-boarders, since they would logically be put in the back of the plane, making them first on, giving them the maximum time to get situated before takeoff, and last off, giving them maximum time to get put back together after landing - all without slowing down the rest of the passengers.

In fact, why not alter the last few rows of seats to make them easier for people with special needs to get in and out of? Why not add some hook-ups for baby seats in the last few rows to make it easier for parents who don't lap-carry? There have to be a few inexpensive modifications that could be done to the rear section of the passenger cabin that would improve the flying experience and increase the efficiency of the boarding process for pre-boarders.

 

[UConnJack]

I have to admit I have rarely used SWA as I prefer to have assigned seats, and can usually find airfare that is just as cheap on traditional airlines. However, having 2 children ages 3 and 1, we use the preboarding option on traditional airlines as well when offered. I think it does speed up boarding as it does take more time in the aisle getting the kids situated (with or without a carseat) and packing away the extra carry-on stuff you invariably have. Also, the previous comment that a person with an infant on the lap doesn;t need more time obviously doesn’t have an infant. True, if they have no carry-on luggage to deal with, it is fast. But if you have anything with you (which you will if you have an infant), then you are doing everything with one hand.


That said, I agree also that people with young kids should wait to debark until the plane is thinned out, or at least until they have their kids and crap organized so they can step into the aisle and move. When the plane stops, I stand up and get what I can out of the overhead and stage it on my seats. I then stay in my row and get the kids organized, backpacks ready, coats on, etc. while the plane begins unloading. I only step out once we are ready to move without holding the line up.

 

[seashoreCM]

Two years ago my DW and I were heading to Orlando from Hartford in January and SW pre-boarded 18 wheelchair passengers - 18 count 'em . . . took 40 minutes! s!

That's the cost of doing business. If too many people need extra time to board resign yourself to the fact the plane will depart late. Fortunately it is a numbers game i.e. it happens only once in a blue moon so the airline does not have to plan more boarding time for all flights all year 'round.

it seems that having that many disabled folks on one flight is a terrible safety concern. If there was ever the need to quickly evacuate the plane, a lot of people would die--there just aren't enough potential rescuers to get that many mobility inpaired people off the plane in minutes--especially in a panic situation. It seems that for safety purposes, the airlines should think about limiting the number of mobility impaired people on any given flight--for THEIR OWN safety.

Considering that flight crew, despite training, might choose not to put passengers' lives above their own in a panic situation, and there is no way to find out prior to an emergency let alone prior to making a job offer, the airlines will probably continue not to discriminate against the disabled.